Andre Iguodala: From Lanphier Lion to NBA champion

By Marcia Martinez, Staff Writer

Wednesday

Jun 17, 2015 at 10:17 PMJun 18, 2015 at 8:49 AM

Linda Shanklin believed her son, Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, had reached the pinnacle of basketball by winning a gold medal with the United States national team at the 2012 London Olympics.

"I thought the Olympics was the biggest thing in the world," she said. "I didn't think it could get any bigger than that."

Shanklin learned that it could Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old Iguodala and Golden State won the NBA championship with a 105-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It is the first championship for Iguodala, a 2002 Lanphier High School graduate and 11-year NBA veteran. Golden State won its last NBA title in 1975.

His mother's heart was beating a mile a minute as she waited for the final four minutes to count down. That same heart was bursting with joy as she celebrated her son being named the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Finals moments after the game ended.

"When I got over to him, the way he looked at me, I knew he was emotional," she said. "He said, 'Mom, I am going to enjoy this. I am going to enjoy this for a long time.'"

** See photos of Iguodala's time in Springfield at The Visual Journal. **

Iguodala, a 6-foot-6 forward, is the first NBA champion and finals MVP from Springfield. Eleven media members voted for the MVP award. Iguodala received seven votes. Cleveland's LeBron James garnered four. Iguodala's defense on James was the talk of the finals.

"He had to guard the player who calls himself the best player in the world," said Southeast High School boys basketball coach Lawrence Thomas Sr. "It was the most demanding role."

When Iguodala was on the court, James shot 38.1 percent from the field, compared with 44 percent when Iguodala was out.

"You're talking about the best player in the world, and Andre is the only person who could really challenge him," said Al Klunick, who as an assistant at Lanphier. "That's a good reason to be an MVP."

"I could tell after that he knew what was important and what he had to in order to get this championship because LeBron wasn't going to go down without a fight," Adeniji said. "With his experience, knowledge and confidence, I felt like he knew it was pivotal for him to do whatever he had to do. I could tell how he played because I've watched him for so long. I know when he is really going for something. I could tell he wasn't going to leave this season without doing everything he could to get this championship."

In the finals, Iguodala averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals. He collected 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in Tuesday's game.

"If you are from the city of Springfield, and even if you don't know him personally, you can't help but be happy for him," said Lawrence Thomas Jr., a former Southeast basketball player and Iguodala's godbrother. "Him making the league was big. Him winning an Olympic gold medal was big. This is beyond anything anybody from Springfield could imagine."

A longtime starter, Iguodala took on a different role for the Warriors and came off the bench. He had previously started 758 straight contests. Iguodala didn't start a game until Game 4 of the finals. Iguodala is the first player to be named finals MVP without starting every game.

"It kind of blows your mind," said Lanphier boys track and field coach Mike Garcia. "He's considered the MVP of the championship of one of the most popular sports in the world. I remembered how excited he was as a sophomore because he dunked in a game."

Lawrence Thomas Sr. was Iguodala's coach his freshman year.

"This chance doesn't come often," Thomas said. "He was ready to jump at the opportunity that presented itself this year."

Iguodala has taken advantages of many opportunities over the years. Dave Brewer was his seventh- and eighth-grade basketball coach at Franklin Middle School.

"In junior high, he was probably 5-7," Brewer said. "He was just a little scrawny guy. He always had the drive and skill, but at 5-6, I never guessed he would have become an NBA star."

It wasn't until the summer before his junior year that Iguodala blossomed as a player. He was a member of the freshman and junior varsity teams his first year. As a sophomore, he played for the junior varsity and varsity teams. Junior year, he became a full-time varsity player and starter. He attracted the attention of major college programs like Kansas, Arkansas, Boston College, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Stanford and Maryland.

"He grew a lot," former Lanphier boys basketball head coach Craig Patton said. "He got physically stronger. He became a better shooter. His transition was the biggest I've seen around.

"I remember coaches would call his junior year and say he was a good player. His senior year, they would call and say he was a great player."

'Different type of player'

Iguodala signed a letter of intent with Arkansas in 2001. When Nolan Richardson was dismissed as coach in 2002, Iguodala received a released. He later signed with Arizona and played two years there. Philadelphia drafted him ninth in the 2004 NBA Draft. He spent eight years with the 76ers, then played for Denver for the 2012-13 season. He has played the past two seasons for the Warriors.

"He handles the ball like a point guard," Lawrence Thomas Sr. said. "He's probably a better passer than a lot of point guards in the NBA right now, and that's how it has always been. He's fearless and enjoys defense. That's a different type of player than ones we see these days. He enjoys making a teammate better."

The high school careers of Iguodala and Rich McBride were very much intertwined at Lanphier. McBride attended multiple Warriors' games this season. McBride, who played at the University of Illinois, was a star at Lanphier before Iguodala. Together, they helped the Lions place second at the Class AA state basketball tournament in 2002.

"When I first saw him in middle school, he had the tools," McBride said. "When I got to high school, I knew he always had talent, but I didn't think he was the most confident guy. As he got to play, his confidence kept growing and growing. Once he was playing AAU circuit basketball and got MVP at the national tournament, his confidence went through the roof."

Former Lanphier teammate Tyler Klunick recalls Iguodala's skills from their high school days.

"In practice every day senior year, he was just incredible," Klunick said. "He has those long arms that were just so good defensively even way back then. It's frustrating. He's got the arms. He's got the anticipation that goes into it. You could give some players that height and wingspan and not everybody would be able to handle it like him."

Iguodala celebrated with his teammates on the court Tuesday, then fell asleep on the flight back to Oakland, California, holding the MVP trophy. Both trophies are a dream fulfilled for Iguodala and his family.

"We were on the stage, and I was up there boohooing and crying," Shanklin said. "I think I still have some more crying to do. I don't think I've absorbed it all. I'm so proud of my baby. The mothers get rings or necklaces. I want a necklace. I'm putting it on and never taking it off."

Iguodala is probably saying the same thing about his ring.

2015 will get even bigger for him in the coming months when he marries his high school sweetheart. His fiancee is Southeast graduate Christina Gutierrez, who was a state champion hurdler at Lanphier as a freshman. The couple has an 8-year-old son, Andre II.

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